Game Over
by DarkReyna16
Summary: Kingdom Hearts franchise-lover Ava has always had a thing for Riku, the anti-hero of the Kingdom Hearts storyline. She was just fine admiring him on the screen, but now that she has inexplicably been sucked into the world of Kingdom Hearts 2 as a protagonist, will their relationship develop into something more? RikuxOC
1. Chapter 1: START

**Game Over**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own any part of the franchise that is Kingdom Hearts. I am merely a fan who wishes to write RikuxOC fanfiction. That is all.**

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What a strange transformation the world undertook when nighttime fell. The busy hustle and bustle of cities and towns gave way to the serenity and stillness of dusk, falling silent as the darkness brought with it sleep to all…

…Well, to all but a specific pair of teenagers on a particular street…

"Whew! _Finally!_" proclaimed the male of the pair; he stretched his long arms over his head and heaved a sigh. "That boss fight took forever! Xemnas should've just _stayed _dead when we killed him the first time!"

"Shhh!" His female companion urged, her face rapt as she watched the ending cut scenes play out on the screen. The boy followed her gaze and rolled his eyes.

"You must have watched this ending half a dozen times. Don't you ever get tired of looking at the brooding guy with the premature gray hair?"

The girl gasped, as if her friend had physically injured her. "It is _not_ gray, it's silver! How dare you insult Riku that way!"

"So what? It's not like he can hear me," the boy deadpanned, his brown eyes fixed on the silver-haired boy on screen, the corners of his mouth turned down in disdain. "And if he could, I'd like to tell him a few things about what it means to be a man…"

Now it was the girl's turn to roll her eyes. "And what makes you qualified to teach him? You're the same age as him, you know," she pointed out, tossing a throw pillow at her friend. The boy dodged it easily, smoothing down the white blonde strands that had been ruffled by the pillow's passing over head.

"Yeah, well, I have the advantage, seeing as how I'm not _fictional_," he retorted, but the girl's attention had returned to the T.V., so he gave up for the moment and left the room to sneak a soda back upstairs. When he returned, the credits of the game were rolling, and his friend sat on the floor, moisture gathering in her violet eyes. Surprised, the boy set his soda down on the dresser and approached the girl.

"Ava, are you _crying_?" he wanted to know, kneeling down next to the girl and peering at her profile. The girl called Ava tilted her head forward so that her long raven locks hid her face.

"I have something in my eye," she lied badly, her voice sounding as if she had a bad head cold. And despite the fact that he could tell she was embarrassed by her weeping, the boy still laughed at his friend.

"Of all the things to cry about, you cry over a video game," he chuckled, shaking his head. Ava tucked her hair behind her ear so she could turn to glare at the boy.

"Screw you, Zephyr," she spat, miffed. "So what if I'm crying over a video game? The characters are really relatable, and the story is well-written—you'd have to be heartless _not_ to cry."

"Are you accusing me of being a Nobody?" the boy called Zephyr wondered, still clearly amused. Already over her embarrassment, Ava grinned in response.

"Hey, if the long black cloak fits…" she trailed off with a shrug, and they both burst into a fit of laughter.

The laughter was short-lived, however; a moment later, Ava's mother entered the room, looking very tired and very, very irritated. At the sight of her mother, Ava and Zephyr sobered up at once.

"Ava, Zephyr: _go to bed already_!" Mrs. Paxton growled, jabbing a finger at the clock on Ava's dresser. "It's five o' clock in the morning, and NORMAL people are trying to sleep!"

"Sorry," Ava and Zephyr apologized simultaneously, looking sheepish as they scrambled into Ava's queen-sized bed. Without so much as a good night, Mrs. Paxton left the room, slamming the door behind her.

Ava cringed. "She's gonna be cranky tomorrow," she foretold with a sigh, reaching over to turn the lamp off next to her. "She's supposed to go in to the office earlier than usual."

"Thank goodness we don't have to go to school tomorrow. I don't think I'd be able to keep my eyes open after only two hours of sleep," Zephyr mused as he shifted on his side of the bed, getting comfortable.

"If we were Keyblade masters, we wouldn't have to worry about school at all," Ava teased, grinning in the dark. Zephyr let out a low chuckle that was interrupted by a yawn.

"Alas, wishful thinking," he replied sleepily, turning so that his back was to his friend. "Makes for some awesome dreams, though. Night, Ava."

"Night," Ava bade softly; Zephyr had already fallen soundly asleep, a skill of his that she had envied ever since they were children. She sat back against her pillows, staring through the darkness at her T.V. The world of Kingdom Hearts was a fascinating one, so much so that, no matter how many times she had beaten the games, Ava could never get tired of the storylines. It was so rich, so complex, that she found herself wanting to skip the boss fights just to get to the cut scenes—and she often had Zephyr play the fights for her. It was Zephyr who got a thrill from the strategy and fighting mechanics of the game—Ava was mostly just interested in the storyline.

And then there was Riku. Ava smiled to herself, thinking of the silver-haired pretty boy whom had succumbed to the darkness in the first Kingdom Hearts game, but by the time the second game had rolled around, he was learning how to harness and master the darkness within himself. He was Ava's favorite not because he was good-looking—although that was certainly a plus—but because he was, perhaps, the most complex character of them all. Ava often suspected that there were still many layers and shades to Riku that not even he knew about yet.

…Of course, she kept this theory to herself, because she knew Zephyr would just laugh at her if she spoke it aloud. She lay down with a yawn, turned toward her nightstand, where a plush version of Riku sat, a miniature paopu fruit clutched in between his tiny hands. He was the last thing Ava saw before she drifted off to sleep, a peaceful smile on her lips.

And so ended the last normal night Ava and Zephyr would have for a while, for in their states of deep sleep, neither became aware of the strange, bright light that was shining mysteriously from the center of Ava's T.V., engulfing them completely until they vanished. The light faded from the T.V. as soon as it had come, and all was still again in the darkness of the night.

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**A/N****: ...So, I'm pretty sure I'm going to regret this, since I'm pretty much acting on a whim right now. BUT, it's a Saturday night and I have nothing better to do, so why not write Kingdom Hearts fanfiction? I sadly can't play the games right now (because my brother hogs the PS2 at home) so this will have to do for now. (And also because I really really really want Riku to have a girlfriend for some reason COUGH)**

**So, to you, dear readers, I hope you enjoy. It's not much right now, but my imagination tends to get carried away, so I'm excited to see where this will lead. I hope you enjoy~**

**~Reyna**


	2. Chapter 2: ENTER PLAYER AVA

**Game Over**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own any part of the franchise that is Kingdom Hearts. I am merely a fan who wishes to write RikuxOC fanfiction. That is all.**

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"Sora!"

The boy with the spiky brown hair glanced up, distracted from the sunset he was watching by the sound of his name. A young man was approaching the tree upon which Sora sat, his long silver hair fanning out behind him as he strode onto the tiny platform that harbored their favorite paopu tree. Sora grinned at his friend's arrival.

"Riku!" he greeted in return. He watched as Riku stopped a distance away, his ice blue eyes on the sunset. Out of the corner of his eye, Riku could see the bottle and letter bearing King Mickey's seal was still clutched in Sora's hand.

"Your mind's made up?"

Sora turned towards the sunset as well, a nod in affirmation. "Yeah."

There was silence between the boys—each consumed in their own thoughts of what this decision meant for the both of them—until another figure approached, a girl with dark red hair that flowed gently in the breeze. She came to a stop beside Riku and turned a gentle smile towards the Keybearer.

"Sora," she called, her eyes warming as she gazed at him.

"Kairi!" Sora yelped, hopping off the tree. He stared down at his shoes, as if unsure of what to say to the girl before him. "I…"

Kairi just smiled and nodded, encouraging Sora. He returned the smile and moved closer to the girl, squaring his shoulders. "It's just…they really need me," he explained, a sense of purpose in his words. "I have to go. I am…who I am, because of them."

Riku let out a short chuckle, as did Kairi. '_Typical Sora._'

Reaching into her pocket, Kairi pulled out a pink, star-shaped charm—the one she had lent to Sora what seemed like a lifetime ago—and placed it into his hand. She glanced up, deep blue eyes smiling into Sora's.

"See you soon."

Abruptly, the moment was shattered by a streak across the sky. The three friends watched the streak, confused.

"Isn't it too early for shooting stars…?" Sora wondered out loud, crossing his hands behind his head. But Riku knew better.

"That's not a star," he refuted, starting forward as the streak shot into the ocean below. "It's a girl!"

Sora stumbled backwards, unbalanced by the news. "Whaaat?"

"What is it with people falling out of the sky here?" Kairi wanted to know, more concerned than exasperated. She and Sora edged forward to where Riku stood, three pairs of anxious blue eyes scanning the ocean.

"Do you see her?" Sora asked the other two after a moment, shooting the other two a hopeful look.

"No," Riku replied shortly. Without warning, he pitched himself into the ocean. Sora followed suit while Kairi hung back, deciding to be a look-out from above. This decision paid off about a minute later, when a head bobbed to the surface.

"There!" Kairi shouted, pointing to where the girl floated. Riku, who was closest, began powerful strokes at once to reach her. Once he had a hold of her, Riku swam as fast as he could back to shore, the unknown girl on his back. Sora had already gone back to shore, and was standing with Kairi when Riku finally reached them. As Riku set the girl down on the sand, Sora began to pelt him with questions.

"Who is she? Is she all right? Where do you think she came from? Have you ever seen her before? Is she gonna be okay?" Sora asked question after question, annoying Riku.

"Sora, hush for a moment," Kairi urged him, playing peacemaker to avoid a needless squabble. She leaned over to look at the girl, hands on her knees. "Is she breathing?"

Riku leaned over, his ear at the strange girl's lips. After a moment, he frowned and straightened up. "No," he answered Kairi's question, causing her and Sora to frown as well. Just as Sora was about to suggest that they call for help, he saw Riku lean over the girl once more. He slid a hand beneath the girl's neck, gently lifting her head and, before Sora knew what was happening, Riku pressed his lips to the girl's.

"Riku!" Sora yelped, his face exploding into a shade of red that rivaled that of the sunset. "What are you doing?!"

"Sora, it's just CPR," Kairi explained patiently, looking rather amused as Sora's expression turned from scandalized to embarrassed.

"Oh, uh, right!" he replied, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I knew that! Eh heh heh…"

The two were distracted by a sputtering cough behind them, and Sora and Kairi turned to find the mysterious girl conscious, coughing up a lungful of sea water. As she drew ragged breaths in between her retching, Riku placed a hand on her back, patting it every now and then to help her get all of the water out of her lungs.

"Are you all right?" he asked after the girl's coughing had decreased. The girl stiffened, appearing startled that she was not alone. Slowly, she turned, tucking raven locks behind her ear to reveal confused violet eyes. As soon as she and Riku made eye contact, the girl gave a squeak and scuttled backwards, staring incredulously at the silver haired boy.

"R-Riku?" she sputtered, blinking hard several times only to find that he was still there. Riku, for his part, merely quirked an eyebrow at the strange girl.

"Do I know you?" he asked, although he was certain that he had never come across this girl before. She did not respond—she just continued to stare at Riku in muted shock.

"Um, excuse me," Kairi interjected, approaching the girl with an offered canteen, "would you like something to drink? You must be thirsty after coughing up all of that salt water."

This only made the girl stare more. "Kairi? And Sora too," she mused, spotting the spiky haired boy just over Kairi's shoulder. Slowly, the girl shook her head, as if trying to shake away what she was seeing. "What is going on here…?"

"Good question," Sora replied to the girl's rhetorical question, looking just as lost as she appeared to be. "How do you know all our names, anyway? I don't think we've ever seen you before."

Sora was ignored, however, for the girl seemed to think of something, and was laughing faintly at herself. Laughing irritated her already sore throat, however, so she stopped soon after. "I get it," she said out loud to herself with a weak smile, "I'm dreaming. That explains everything."

A bit of sea water from her bangs dripped onto the girl's forehead, and she absent-mindedly gathered her hair together to wring it out, still musing to herself. "It's a pretty vivid dream, though…one of the most realistic ones that I've ever had…"

The girl smirked, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I guess this is what I get for playing Kingdom Hearts with Zephyr before bed."

That caught Sora and Riku's attention. "Kingdom Hearts? Did you just say Kingdom Hearts?" Sora parroted her, growing more confused by the second. Riku stared at the mysterious girl, his ice blue eyes intense.

"What do you know about Kingdom Hearts?" he demanded to know. His tone gave the girl pause, and she covered her mouth with a guilty expression.

"Oops—this would be what they call 'breaking the fourth wall', huh?" she teased, flashing a grin. "All right then, better get out of here before I do any more damage."

The girl raised an arm, her free hand grasping at her forearm with two fingers and a thumb, appearing as if she meant to pinch herself. She paused for a moment, however, her violet eyes drifting over to where Riku still sat. A small smile tugged at her lips as she gazed at him.

"It's too bad…it would have been nice to stay for a while," she said, winking at the silver haired boy, who just stared back in total confusion. With a small giggle, the girl shut her eyes and tightly squeezed the skin in between her fingers…

…An action she regretted almost immediately.

"OW!" she shouted, her eyes flying open as she rubbed her forearm to soothe it. "Man, that hurt!"

A moment later, realization hit. "Oh crap, that hurt…" she repeated, her eyes widening with the weight of this awareness. Sora, Kairi, and Riku could do nothing but stare at this strange girl as she scrambled to her feet and whirled around, as if she was looking for something.

"…I can feel it," the girl whispered, staring all around at her surroundings. "I can see it, I can hear it, I can feel it…but it makes no sense! Why am I on Destiny Islands?"

"You fell out of the sky," Sora informed the confused girl, earning her attention. "We saw you fall into the ocean, and Riku saved you."

"I fell…out of the sky…?" The girl repeated, looking up towards the heavens in bewilderment. "That's impossible…I shouldn't have survived a fall that high."

"Well, you did," Riku rebuffed, getting to his feet and crossing his arms. "Barely."

Kairi approached the girl then—she was about three inches taller than Kairi—and gently placed a hand on her forehead. "Maybe you should lie back down," the red head suggested, her pretty features marred by her concern for a stranger. "You don't seem like you're well at all."

"I…" the girl began, looking distressed. But she inhaled and exhaled slowly, feeling a bit more composed after a deep breath. "I'm just a little lost is all. I don't exactly know what I'm doing here…"

Kairi smiled her kind smile. "It's okay. We'll help you figure out where you belong," she promised. The girl smiled faintly in return, but she shook her head.

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep," she replied sadly.

"Hey, don't go underestimating us already!" Sora chided with a grin. "Don't worry! We always keep our promises! Right, Kairi?"

"Right," Kairi affirmed, nodding and smiling with Sora. At this exchange, the girl giggled.

"You two are so cute," she gushed, causing the pair to blush without fully knowing why. Riku chose that moment to speak.

"Well, before we can help anyone out, we need to be properly acquainted," he pointed out, and chose to do the introductions himself. "I'm Riku, that's Sora, and she's Kairi," the silver haired boy introduced, gesturing to himself, Sora and Kairi in turn. "But, you somehow knew that already…"

Riku folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Which leads me to my next question: who are you and how do you know us?"

"That's two questions," the girl pointed out before she answered, "I'm Ava. As for how I know you three…well, it's kind of a long story."

Riku was about to answer that they had time to listen when Sora butted in. "Hey, it's getting dark," he noted, his eyes on the sky. "We should head back to the main island soon."

Riku, Kairi and Ava glanced up to see that the sky was indeed darkening, the sun already set. Ava could already see the early stars emerging, entranced by the view. '_It's so beautiful here…_'

Riku sighed and uncrossed his arms. "Fine. We'll head back for today." His ice blue eyes cut over to Ava, curious if not a little suspicious. "But I'm expecting an explanation tomorrow," he forewarned her. At this, Ava became thoughtful.

'_Will I even be here tomorrow?_' she wondered to herself, gripping her chin and frowning as she speculated. '_If this isn't a dream, why am I here? _How_ did I get here? If I go to sleep here, will I wake up in my own bed, in the real world?_'

Kairi cut into Ava's musings then. "Ava, you can come home with me," she offered, smiling as sweetly as always. "My parents won't mind, and I can give you something to change into so you don't have to wear those wet clothes."

"Oh, thanks, I—huh?" Ava began absentmindedly before she looked down at herself and realized that she was not wearing the pajamas she had gone to bed in.

Instead, her outfit now looked as if it was designed by the makers of Kingdom Hearts themselves: she wore a purple short-sleeved form-fitting spandex top that exposed her midriff, coupled with a slightly longer black vest that zipped up starting from the left side. Two straps criss-crossed across her chest, with a sharply-angled silver heart acting as buckle hooking them together. Long, purple, fingerless gloves covered her arms, with straps at the top that were silver on the right arm, and black on the left arm. This color scheme transferred over to the tight skirt she wore, except the skirt was black and the criss-crossing straps on the sides were silver on the top and purple on the bottom on the right side, and then purple on the top and silver on the bottom on the left side. Her outfit was completed by the knee high black boots she now wore, purple straps criss-crossing across the top with silver buckles that matched the silver belt around her skirt. Ava stared, turning in a slow circle as she inspected her outfit, completely dumbfounded.

'_What the—I look like a human Heartless!_' she thought, gawking at herself. '_Whose weird joke is THIS?_'

"Um, Ava?"

Ava paused her inner freak-out to notice that the three Destiny Island dwellers were staring at her strangely. In response, she quickly composed herself, coughing sheepishly.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I'm still trying to adjust, I guess." As Sora, Riku and Kairi exchanged glances, Ava raised her right hand to rub the back of her neck in embarrassment when a flash of silver caught her eye. She was pleasantly surprised to find that a piece of her own wardrobe still remained: a bracelet Zephyr had given her for her 16th birthday. It was a simple charm bracelet: a thin chain circling her wrist with a silver plate attached, black stylized curly lines framing the word "Believe" on the plate. It was a simple little trinket, and yet Ava cherished it all the same—just as much as she cherished Zephyr's friendship.

…Speaking of Zephyr…

"Hey, did you guys see anyone else…um, fall out of the sky?" Ava made a face, still having trouble coming to terms with such an event. Sure, it was believable for actual video game characters to do it, but for her? "Maybe, a boy with blonde hair? About ye high?" To illustrate, Ava stretched an arm up to hold her hand level to Riku's height, looking hopefully at Sora and Kairi. They glanced at each other before shaking their heads at Ava.

"There was no one like that," Sora regretfully informed Ava, "it was just you."

"Oh…" Ava sighed, visibly deflating. "I see. Thanks anyway."

"Is this boy a friend of yours?" Kairi asked. Ava nodded while subconsciously gripping her bracelet.

"He's my best friend." '_If Zephyr isn't here…am I stuck in this 'dream' by myself?_'

Sora and Kairi exchanged one more look before Kairi took pity on the poor, strange girl in their midst. "Here, just come home with me, Ava. We'll help you figure out where you belong tomorrow. For now, you should rest."

"Rest…right," Ava repeated, rather dubious at the thought. Technically, she was already asleep, wasn't she? What good would dreaming about sleep do her? Would she wake up as soon as her head hit the pillow in this world just to wake up back in her world—the real world? As she silently contemplated the strangeness of her situation, Kairi gently took Ava's arm and led her away across the beach, towards the docks.

"Let's go. We should get back before it gets dark. You too, Sora, Riku!"

"Coming!" Sora immediately replied, and Ava turned to watch him dash across the beach to catch up to the girls before following behind them with his hands behind his head. But it was Riku who, once again, claimed and held her attention.

The silver-haired teen had not moved at all, and he was gazing at Ava with the same intensity he had been ever since she revealed her knowledge of Kingdom Hearts. Ava hurriedly turned to face forward, but she could still feel Riku's gaze on her back, and it slightly unnerved her.

Riku was definitely suspicious of her, and while Ava could not blame him, she wished he wouldn't stare at her as if she were a ticking time bomb. It wasn't like she was here by choice…although it wasn't at all unpleasant. Even so, it was really confusing—was this all real? Or not?

Ava didn't know. For now, all she could do was go along with the 'dream', and hope that she could find her answers soon. The world of Kingdom Hearts was epic, to be sure…but it was fiction, wasn't it? And Ava did not belong in a fictional world…even if that fictional world happened to have devastatingly handsome silver-haired men.

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**A/N****: ...Yeah, I know the first scene is actually from Birth By Sleep, but...let's just ignore that and pretend it's in Kingdom Hearts 2, 'kay? Anyway, hope you enjoy~**

**~Reyna**


	3. Chapter 3: FIRST BOSS BATTLE

**Game Over**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own any part of the franchise that is Kingdom Hearts. I am merely a fan who wishes to write RikuxOC fanfiction. That is all.**

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"Today was weird!" Sora exclaimed, falling back on his makeshift bed. "This random girl falls out of the sky and seems to know us, but we have no idea who _she_ is! What are the odds of that?"

Riku gave a shrug, his arm propped up on one knee as he sat on his bed and gazed out his window. His eyes were intent upon the dark horizon as he spoke. "Stranger things have happened to us," he reminded Sora, turning slightly to throw a smirk at his best friend. "If I remember right, you once turned into a Heartless."

Sora chuckled at the horrific-turned-fond memory. "I guess you're right," he agreed, hands folded behind his head. But soon he became uncharacteristically serious. "But Ava is one bizarre girl. What do you think her story is?"

Riku was silent for so long that Sora thought his friend was ignoring him. But before the spiky-haired teen could pout about it, Riku's cool voice gently broke the silence.

"…Namine…" Riku muttered, appearing to speak to himself. "She kind of reminds me of Namine…"

"Who?" Sora butted in, confused.

"Nothing," Riku replied, brushing Sora's curiosity off with a wave of his hand. But he silently continued to ponder.

The way Ava's hair favored the right side of her face reminded Riku of Namine, true, but the more he thought about it, the more differences he began to see rather than similarities. Where Namine's hair was light and golden, Ava's hair hung thick and possessed a raven hue. Namine's eyes—like Kairi's—were ocean gems, while Ava's eyes sparkled like amethysts. Ava's skin also constrasted Namine's, being sun-kissed bronze, while Namine's skin was pale and creamy. Ava also had the advantage of height over Namine, and a strength in her aura that Namine did not possess. If Riku was to sum it up, he would describe Ava as the darker side of Namine…if Namine had a dark side, that is.

But it was not Ava's similarities—or, in actuality, her lack thereof—to Namine that Riku kept puzzling about. It was the sheer mystery of her existence that had him stuck. Like Sora had already pointed out, Ava had randomly fallen out of the sky and into their world, but the weirdest thing was that she had full knowledge of her company and whereabouts, and seemed to believe it was all a dream. And she had mentioned Kingdom Hearts…

"_Oops. That would be called breaking the fourth wall, huh?"_

"_It's too bad…it would have been nice to stay for a while…"_

She had winked at him then, both confusing and intriguing him. Just what was this girl after?

A movement in the darkness alerted Riku, immediately capturing his attention. There was a figure leaving Kairi's house, stalking through the shadows to the docks. Riku could tell that the sneak was feminine by her outline, but she was a little too tall to be Kairi…

'_Where does she think she's going so late at night…?_' Riku wondered curiously, watching as Ava hopped into one of the row boats and paddled her way steadily to the smaller counterpart of Destiny Islands. What in the world was she up to?

"Hey, Sora," Riku called, turning to address his friend…only to find the spiky-haired boy fast asleep, sprawled out on his floor bed. Riku smirked and crept past his friend, careful to silently close the door behind him. He would let Sora sleep for now, and just fill him in later, should anything interesting happen tonight.

The night was beautiful, as it always was on Destiny Islands, save for the occasional island-destroying storm. Ava sat upon the paopu tree growing out of the platformed section of the island her eyes on the vivid sky as she thought.

Her senses were telling her what her mind still could not process: she was really on Destiny Islands. She was really feeling the sea breeze, was really hearing the crash of the waves, was really seeing the vast, sparkling star-filled sky and reflecting ocean. Though her mind still pushed against it, Ava's heart beat wildly with excitement. If this really was just a dream, Ava found herself hoping that she wouldn't wake up for a long, long time, despite knowing that she had no place in a fictional world.

A strong breeze blew by then, blowing Ava's hair back. She wound a hand around it in irritation, wishing for a hair tie to keep her wild mane in check. "I wonder how Riku does it," she wondered out loud, thinking of the long silver hair Riku flaunted.

"How do I what?"

Ava gasped, almost falling off the tree in her shock. She turned to find said silver-haired teen right behind her, appearing faintly amused by her startled expression. Ava coughed, attempting to regain her composure.

"I didn't hear you coming," she explained, peering shyly up at him. "So…what are you doing here so late at night?"

"That's my line," Riku countered, resting a palm on the trunk of the bent tree so he could lean down and peer into Ava's face. "What are _you_ doing here so late at night?"

His proximity caused Ava to flush, but she still challenged him. "I asked you first."

"But _I _live here, so _your_ answer is more important," Riku shot back, and Ava sighed in defeat. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he had her cornered. As Riku moved to sit beside her, Ava glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

"Promise you won't laugh?" she wanted to check. Riku watched the dark horizon for a moment before his gaze shifted to Ava.

"Only if it's not funny."

Ava made a face at him, but then shrugged her shoulders. '_That's the best I'm going to get, I suppose._'

"…I wanted to try sitting here, just once," she began quietly, her eyes riveted on the sky. "I wanted to see what it felt like—to gaze out from this tree at the world around me."

Ava didn't continue after that, which caused Riku to prompt her. "And?"

"I never knew I could feel so small."

A strong breeze blew past once again. Frowning, Ava began braiding her wildly tossing hair. As she did so, she glanced over at Riku once again, instantly jealous as the wind did nothing but flow through that perfect silver hair of his.

'_Well, he _is _just pixels…isn't he?_' Ava wondered, suddenly not sure of herself—or anything—anymore.

As Ava turned her attention back to her braiding, it was Riku's turn to gaze at her from the corner of his eye. The words she just spoke still had a hold on him, ringing not only in his mind, but in his heart as well. He knew all too well exactly how it felt to sit here on this tree and gaze up at the millions of stars—other worlds—littering the sky. He knew how it felt to live on such a small island, unable to see anything but sand, sea and sky for years, never breaking free, never being able to explore new places, never being able to matter anywhere else…

Riku shoved those thoughts out of his mind. He didn't feel that way anymore. After all, no matter where he went, this would always be his home. No matter what, he would always come back.

Suddenly, Riku became aware that Ava's eyes were on him. He had not been conscious of turning his head, but since he was now looking Ava full in the face, he figured he must have at one point. A moment passed in which the two just stared at each other, as if they were trying to puzzle each other out. Ava looked away first, her cheeks rosy. Pixels or not, Riku was still extremely good-looking, and she wasn't exactly sure she could handle him up close like this.

"…Who are you, Ava?"

Ava glanced up from her peripheral vision. Riku was still staring at her quite intently, and while the fangirl in her was pleased by the attention, the rest of her began to get nervous for an entirely different reason. Riku was sharp—too sharp. She had no idea what answers she could give that would appease him.

"…What do you mean?" she asked, playing dumb as she stalled for time. "You know my name already."

"You know that's not what I mean," Riku pressed, and Ava looked away nervously. Dang, he _was_ sharp.

"Which is why I asked what you _do_ mean," she shot back, quickly recovering, though she still could not look at the silver-haired teen beside her. "What do you want from me, Riku?"

His answer was given swiftly and decisively: "The truth."

Ava nearly laughed out loud. 'The truth', huh? "You wouldn't believe me."

And then, something happened that Ava did not expect. Something warm touched her face, and her head was turned by an outside force. Ava did not realize that it was Riku who was turning her head—touching her!—until she was looking into his eyes again, intense in their seriousness.

"Try me," he dared her.

Against her will, Ava flushed a dark red. This was ridiculous! As Zephyr would say, he was just a fictional character! Why in the world was she getting all flustered?

'_Because this feels real,_' Ava thought to herself, marveling at the actual warmth of Riku's hand on her skin. '_But it can't be real. _None _of this can be real! …Can it?_'

What was 'real' anyway? Because Ava could _feel_ herself here, on Destiny Islands, did that make her presence here 'real'? Or was it just a really realistic dream? How could she trust her senses in a place she knew was fiction? How could she _see_, and still not _believe_?

Something else crossed Ava's senses…something that, for some reason, felt sinister. She turned her head, moving from Riku's grasp, and squinted into the darkness past the bridge. Riku, in turn, looked as well, curious to know what had stolen Ava's attention from him.

"What is it?"

"…I don't know," Ava replied honestly. She turned and jumped off the paopu tree, landing solidly on her feet. Riku watched as she stared into the darkness, her posture rigid, focused. "I can't explain it," she admitted, "but…something feels…wrong."

Riku lifted a silver brow. Wrong? What was she talking about? He didn't feel anything…

A second later, Ava twitched, her head snapping to the right. As her violet eyes began to narrow, Riku abruptly felt it too—a strange disturbance in the peaceful air. He got up as well, coming up to Ava's side as his eyes searched into the darkness.

"I don't see anything…" Which frustrated the silver-haired teen—when it came to darkness, no one on this island knew it better than him. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," Ava admitted, turning to look up at Riku. "But you know what I mean now when I say something doesn't feel right, right?"

"Yeah…" Riku trailed, frowning. "But what does it _mean_?"

"I dunno," Ava answered, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow, "aren't _you_ the one with a Keyblade? You tell me!"

Riku's head whipped down to stare at Ava, his ice blue eyes narrowing. "How did_ you _know—"

"What's _that_?!"

Riku was, at first, suspicious of the sudden diversion of attention. But when Ava's eyes were rounded by obvious fear, he turned as well. And his eyes also widened.

There was a huge, black mass of _something_ on the stretch of beach to their right, the mass jerking and squirming in strange patterns, having no definite shape, but still huge enough to be noticeable. It was not Heartless, nor Nobody—it was unlike anything Riku had ever seen. But whatever it was was jerkily making its way across the beach, and wherever it touched, the beach just…dissolved. Riku could see right through the island, as if a hole had been blasted right through it. Somehow…this black mass was making the island disappear!

"Here we go again," Riku growled. With a flash of dark light, he summoned his Keyblade, Way to Dawn, and hopped off the platform to swim to the black mass tearing up the beach.

"Be careful!" Ava called after him. He gave no sign that he had heard her, but Ava was not worried. They may not know what they were up against, but if anyone could get the job done, it was Riku…she hoped. Even now, she was beginning to wonder if he could do it without—

"Ava!"

Ava turned. Her eyes lit up in relief as she saw a spiky-haired teen headed her way, followed closely by his red-headed pseudo-girlfriend. "Hey! Great timing!" Ava called back to Sora. Point behind her, she shouted, "Riku needs help!"

"On it!" The Kingdom Key appeared in Sora's hands as he rushed under the bridge to Riku's aide. Ava expected Kairi to hang back, but instead, she charged ahead as well, her flowery Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace, appearing in her grasp.

'_Oh yeah,_' Ava remembered, '_Kairi _did_ get a Keyblade, didn't she? How lucky…I'm a little jealous._' She watched as the Destiny Island dwellers did battle with the mysterious foe, their battle cries filling the night air. If only she could do something to help…but no, that was impossible. Ava did not belong to this world, no matter what her new outfit suggested. It was too much to hope that she could be included in this world…

"Aaaagh!" Ava snapped out of her envy long enough to see Riku get knocked back by the dark menace, falling back into the ocean with a noisy splash. Ava gasped.

"Riku!" Without thinking about it, she dived from the platform and into the sea below. As soon as her head broke the surface, Ava swam as fast as she could to where Riku's unconscious form was sinking. With an almighty tug, Ava lugged him back to shore. "Riku? Riku! Riku, wake up!"

Riku did not respond, but he was still breathing. He still maintained a death grip on his Keyblade—his will to fight had not disappeared just yet. Now if only he would wake up…

Just as Ava considered slapping him, the situation worsened—two more screams sounded in the night, forcing her to whip around. Her eyes widened. "Sora! Kairi!"

The black menace had subdued the other Keyblade Wielders, and was sucking their unconscious bodies slowly into itself. Ava stood up, horrified. At this rate, Sora and Kairi would be swallowed whole, and their island would, once again, be destroyed. What could they do? What could _she_ do? Was that it? If the Keyblade wielders had no more strength to fight…was all…lost?

"Ava…" The call of her name had Ava wheeling around once more. Riku's eyes were open, but he stayed where he was—he looked to be in considerable pain. Ava dropped to her knees again, her hands hovering anxiously over Riku, unsure of what to do. So, she decided to ask him for guidance instead.

"Riku, what do I do? How can I help?"

With what seemed to be a considerable effort, Riku lifted his right arm. Ava didn't understand what he was doing until he thrust his Keyblade at her. In her flustered state, she grasped the handle, her fingers overlapping his. Riku's eyes were sharp as he stared at Ava, willing her to understand the one word he spoke:

"Fight."

The monstrosity was drawing closer, swallowing everything in its path. Sora and Kairi were sunk in to their chests, and Ava was alarmed to find that they were slowly disappearing with every inch they sunk. Any more, and they would be swallowed whole, possibly never to be seen again…

Ava gripped Riku's Keyblade and slowly stood, planting her feet. She entertained a brief interest in fencing as a child, and even had a few lessons before her mother made her quit to do something more feminine, so she kind of knew her way around a sword…but a Keyblade was something else entirely. Even as she gripped the handle, Way to Dawn pulsed with a foreign power, embodying all that was Riku. Hesitantly, Ava got into the standard beginning position for fencing. As she watched the menace continue to consume the island and its heroes, she forced herself to swallow her fear. She didn't quite know what she was doing, but by a strange twist of fate, she had become the sole defender of Destiny Islands. And, dream or not, she was going to have to give it her all.

'_Well, here goes nothing!_' Ava rushed forward, keeping Riku's Keyblade at the ready, and her trepidation at bay. There was a slim chance that she would be able to land a blow, but if she could manage it, maybe she could buy some time for Riku to pull himself together. After all, Ava was no hero in real life. All she knew was combination buttons to make the heroes she controlled in video games save the world. There was no way she could do this on her own…

The dark mass made a frightening sound, something like a roar. Before Ava knew it, she was thrown back just like Riku, the force causing her to skid across the beach. Sand dug into her skin, and her grip on Way to Dawn was broken. As she struggled to get back up, a low timbre rumbled, sounding as if it was…laughing?

"_**Insignificant girl…**_" the rumbling sound spoke, and Ava focused her wide violet eyes on the monstrosity before her. Was it…talking to her? "_**You are no Keyblade Wielder. You do not possess the Power. You are just a stranger who fell into a world you know nothing about. You are useless. You are **__**nothing**_**.**"

It was almost as if Ava's fears had been personified in this dark mass, pointing out every one of her insecurities and throwing them back in her face. She wasn't strong. She wasn't special. She was no one. She was nothing…

"…No," Ava's voice protested, somehow stronger than she felt. She pushed herself to her feet, her fists clenched as she glared at the monstrosity. "You're wrong. If there was anything I ever learned, it's that everything happens for a reason. _I_ was put here for a reason. I may not know what it is, but if I'm here, it _must_ be important. I _do_ have a purpose…" Ava planted her feet, pointing a challenging finger at the black mass. "And right now, that purpose is to prove you wrong!"

Suddenly, a strange feeling overtook Ava. It was a shuddering, soothing warmth, centered around her pointing left hand. There was a flash of bright light, and then…

Ava stared. In her hand, she could only surmise, was a _Keyblade_. It wasn't like any Keyblade she had ever seen before, however. An outstretched white wing decorated the end where the prongs of a key would be, attached by a gold metal strip running from the end of the top feather to the rod of the Keyblade, bolted onto the wing with silver bolts. The rod of the Keyblade itself was slim, like a fencing rapier, and silver in color. A swirling pattern of gold metal surrounded the rapier, stopping just short of the outstretched wing, and starting at the base of the Keyblade. The guard surrounding the black handle of the Keyblade was feathery and white, creating a heart-shaped winged structure from the top of the handle to the bottom, a stylized violet heard in the center, much like the one connecting the straps of Ava's outfit. The chain at the end of the Keyblade was another stylized heart in silver, and as Ava's fingertips brushed the keychain, she felt a tremendous power emitting from it, strong, but somehow friendly. Ava gripped the handle tighter, and the Keyblade responded, as if it recognized her as its master.

This made the monstrosity very, very unhappy. "_**I-impossible! You…who are you?!**_"

Ava was able to tear her eyes away from her new toy long enough to smirk at the dark mass, her confidence surging. "Apparently, I'm a Keyblade Wielder."

The black mass roared again, but Ava was ready now. She used the new Keyblade—_her_ Keyblade—to block the blast, her free hand braced against the length of the Keyblade to block against the sound wave. Her feet were sliding a little in the sand, but if Ava struggled, she found that she could push against the attack, pushing her towards the monstrosity.

"_**It is useless!**_" The voice roared at her, still ferocious, and yet there was a note of uncertainty that Ava seized onto to propel her will forward. "_**You will only fail, you will only fall! You are not fit to wield a Keyblade! You—!**_"

The rumbling cut off as the tip of Ava's Keyblade was thrust into it. Ava allowed herself to smirk and throw out a casual one-liner, "Guess I showed you, huh?" before twisting the Keyblade and ripping it out of the monstrosity. It roared loudly in pain, and Ava almost felt bad, but all she had to do was remember Riku lying on the beach behind her, or see Sora's and Kairi's half-consumed bodies to steel herself. Ava made to attack the dark mass again, but it was suddenly shining with a bright light, which elicited another anguished cry. Starting at the wound Ava had caused, white began to overtake the black in a pixilated fashion. Quite abruptly, the mass exploded.

Ava was thrown back once more, but she dug her Keyblade into the beach to keep herself from being flung back into the ocean. She squinted against the bright light originating from where the monster was, the roar still echoing around the island. When the light finally faded…

Ava sunk to her knees. The threat was gone…but the island still remained in its damaged state. Nothing had returned to normal, and Sora and Kairi were gone. Her heartbeat accelerated, as well as her breathing. Wait…this wasn't supposed to happen. Once the bad guy was vanquished, everything was supposed to return to normal. Everything was supposed to be okay…

"Hngh…" The groan made Ava jump. She saw Riku struggling to sit up and ran to him, her Keyblade abandoned in the sand.

"Riku! Are you okay?" She made to help him stand, but he swatted her hand away, pushing himself up on his own. She saw his eyes scanning the beach, taking in the damage, narrowing when they did not find what they searched for…

"…Sora. Kairi. Where are they?" He demanded to know. Ava bit her lip, wishing she could give him any other answer, but…

"I…I don't know."

"What do you _mean_ you don't know?" Riku pressed, his frown deepening. "What happened?"

"I—they—" Ava struggled to find some way to articulate…but she just could not find the words. After all, she didn't fully understand what had happened either. One minute they were there…but the next, they were gone...oh no. In destroying the monstrosity…had she destroyed Kairi and Sora as well?

She sank down to her knees, the shock of what she had done completely overwhelming her. "No," she found herself muttering, "I—I didn't mean to…"

"Didn't mean to what?" When Ava did not answer him, a frustrated Riku grabbed her arm to force her to pay attention to him, "didn't mean to _what_, Ava? What did you do?!"

"I don't know!" shouted the raven-haired teen, her eyes squeezing shut as she fought to free herself from Riku's grasp. "I really don't know! I thought I was helping! All I did was use the Keyblade that appeared, and now—"

_That_ got Riku's attention. "Keyblade? What Keyblade?"

Ava opened her eyes to stare at him. It was a rather ostentatious Keyblade…how could he miss it? Still, she pointed behind her, where she had left the rapier-like Keyblade, tip down in the sand. "It's right there. It appeared while I was fighting…" Riku's narrowed gaze sweeping the beach made Ava's bewilderment grow. An unpleasant feeling was growing in her stomach… "…Can't you see it…?"

Riku's ice blue eyes returned to Ava's face, his mistrust of her more obvious than ever. "There's nothing there, Ava."

Nothing there? But that was impossible, Ava had left it right over…over… When she turned to look for the mysterious Keyblade as well, it was with great surprise that Ava found the Keyblade to be missing as well. Where had gone, when she needed it most of all? Without it, it seemed that her story held no weight with Riku, despite it being the truth…

"But there was a Keyblade," she tried to insist, but her voice came out feeble and pleading, "there was a Keyblade. I used it to off whatever that thing was that was tearing up the island. I swear I helped, Riku. You have to believe me."

Riku stared at Ava long and hard. She could see the range of emotions going through his mind in his eyes. There was anger there—a lot of it. A lot of doubt, too. And she thought she could be just a bit of uncertainty…or was that wishful thinking?

The silver-haired teen opened his mouth, and Ava held her breath. Right now, Riku was her judge and jury, and considering the fact that his two best friends were missing, things did not look good for her…especially because she couldn't completely vouch for her evidence without proof. What was she going to do…?

A loud whistling sound abruptly broke through the night air and the tense silence, and it was only getting louder. Ava's gaze slid from Riku's for a second—and it was not a second too soon.

"Look out!" Ava threw herself at Riku, tackling him out of the way just as a giant, orange, blocky flying aircraft crashed into the beach just inches from there. Sand was sprayed everywhere, but Ava's face was covered by one of Riku's protective arms. He pushed her away as soon as the dust settled, which stung a bit, but even Ava knew not to complain. It was probably a kindness for a kindness—him saving her from coughing up and crying sand in exchange for her saving his life. An uneven trade, perhaps, but even so…

Ava was promptly distracted by the pod of what she now recognized as a Gummi Ship opening, and two very familiar figures emerged from within…

"Sora! Where are you?" The smaller of the companions demanded to know, stretching on one webbed foot to the other as he searched for the spiky hair of his friend. The taller of the two spared a glance around as well, before turning to his companion.

"Gawrsh, Donald, I don't think he's here."

"Of course he's here!" Contradicted Donald as he impatiently tapped his webbed foot, "Goofy, don't you remember what the King said?"

"Well, uh, yeah, but—" Goofy began to respond, but he was promptly distracted upon catching sight of Riku and Ava. "Well lookee there! If it isn't Riku!"

Said Keyblade Wielder got to his feet in time to greet Donald and Goofy as they leapt off of the haphazardly landed Gummi Ship. "Man, am I glad to see you two right now."

"What happened here? How come everything's sorta see-through?" Goofy wanted to know, eyeing the damage done to the island.

"And where's Sora? We gotta tell him something important!" Donald asserted. Ava watched as Riku's shoulders grew rigid at the mention of Sora. She could imagine the face he was probably making right now, and it did nothing to lessen her guilt.

And it certainly didn't help when Riku jerked a thumb back in her direction and said in a hard voice, "Ask _her_."

It was then that Donald took notice of Ava for the first time. And he did not react well. "Waak!" With a sudden flourish, the duck unveiled his staff and brandished it in a threatening manner in Ava's direction. "Riku, get back! The King warned us about her! He said a stranger would soon appear here and cause a calamity! She's the Catalyst!"

'The Catalyst'? Well, it wasn't like Ava hadn't ever been called worse, but… "Catalyst? No, I'm—"

"Don't push it, missy!" Donald threatened, his staff crackling with his anger, "I'm not afraid to zap you if I have to! Now tell us where Sora is!"

"Uh, Donald—" Goofy tried to interject. Donald barely spared him a glance.

"Not now, Goofy, I'm busy!"

"But, uh, don't you think you've got the wrong gal? I mean, the King said that this Catlymajigger would be wieldin' some sort of axe of destruction." Goofy gave one of his trademark laughs before continuing, "and that there gal's a Keyblade Wielder, not an ax wielder. A-hyuk!"

Riku, Donald, and Ava all turned to stare at Goofy. "Keyblade? What Keyblade?" Donald asked, echoing Riku from earlier. Goofy did not seem as perturbed by this denial as Ava was; he simply pointed to Ava's left hand.

"Well sure. Can't ya see it? She's holdin' it right now!"

Doubtful herself, Ava raised her left hand… "Oh," she said softly, suddenly bathed in the glow of the Keyblade from before. It seemed to radiate reassurance, like the embrace of a trusted friend. It was almost like it had never left her grasp… The raven-haired teen turned to Goofy once more, relief clear on her face. "You can see it…"

Goofy seemed confused by the claim. "Of course I can see it. It's there, isn't it? What's not to see?" He simply asked, giving another laugh. Suddenly, Ava was extremely guilty for under-appreciating Goofy every time she played the Kingdom Hearts series. He may run in a silly fashion, but he was clearly the most insightful companion of all.

Donald gave an audible quack of surprise, as if the Keyblade had just appeared before him. "I see it!" He exclaimed in sudden excitement before folding his arms and tapping his webbed foot once more. "But, how come I couldn't see it until Goofy pointed it out just now…?"

Ava was curious about that, too. Why was it that only she and Goofy seemed to be able to see her Keyblade right off the bat? She glanced over at Riku, only to find him staring at her hand in a concentrated manner. There was frustration in his expression…

"…You still can't see it?" Ava guessed. Riku dropped his gaze to the ground.

"No," he replied shortly. Well, that wasn't very encouraging. But as long as someone else could see it to prove that Ava wasn't lying or crazy, that was enough for her.

"Well, now that we've cleared up that misunderstanding," Riku began in a calm tone that Ava thought had a bit of a forced note in it, "what more can you tell us about this Catalyst person?"

"Hold on," Ava interjected. She heard Donald's sigh of impatience but barely paid attention—there was something glowing on the platform part of the island…something materializing… "_Please_ tell me you guys see that," Ava requested, pointing.

"Yeah," Riku answered, to Ava's relief. He squinted into the light. "What is that?"

"Gawrsh," said Goofy as the four of them stared, "it looks like someone's comin' out of it!"

"Is that…Kairi?" Donald asked, stretching onto his webbed toes as far as he could go to see better.

"No," said Riku, eyes widening in recognition, "it's—"

"Namine!" Ava exclaimed in surprise first. Riku's head turned sharply towards her, but she was already running, dodging over the holes of disintegration in the island. He took off after her, staring at her retreating form the entire time.

'_Who are you, Ava?_' Even now, Riku still didn't have the answer. All he knew was that she knew too much for being a stranger, she was somehow responsible for Sora and Kairi's disappearances, and she somehow wielded a Keyblade that only he couldn't see. And things with her around just got weirder and weirder by the minute.

So, who was Ava? Riku didn't know. But he was going to try his hardest to find out.

* * *

**A/N****: Um, yeah, so, things got interesting really fast. XP Poor Ava. Riku doesn't trust her very much right now...let's hope that changes, ha ha.**

**So, I know I won't get answers to this question right away (and I may put up a poll on my profile), but for anyone who even makes it this far, I want to know: what worlds do you want to see Ava and Riku visit together? Limitations are to worlds in Kingdom Hearts 2, of course, and they'll probably be stopping by important plot point worlds, like Traverse and Twilight Town, but I'd like to give the readers some degree of input. What world would you like them to get up to shenanigans in? Please let me know, and I'll do my best to accommodate you. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it~**

**~Reyna**


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